Holy Trinity Cathedral, Brighton Road, Parnell, Auckland.

Toy Cleaning Tips

It’s really important that toys are cleaned prior to returning them to the library – nobody wants to take out dirty toys for their children. If you do find any toys are not clean when you borrow them, please let the librarian know. And please do flag any issues with either the toys or the packaging when you return them: we do our best to check toys as they are returned but may not pick up on everything, especially when the library is busy.

We’ve included tips on cleaning toys below.

Bicarbonate of Soda or vinegar are great environmentally friendly, non-toxic and economical products to clean toys.

Janola wipes are great for cleaning toys.

For getting into the corners, use old toothbrushes, nail brushes or old dish scrubbers. These are great for large items such as outdoor toys and wheels.

Cleaning 24 hours in advance of returns is best: please dry toys well with fresh air or a towel. Wet toys in plastic bags can be very smelly!

If your child has been ill, please disinfect all toys (but don’t soak) and dry well.

Some baby toys can’t be put in water. Just wipe such toys well with disinfectant and dry.

All plain Duplo can be washed/rinsed/dried easily. A zipped net bag or colander dipped into washing water and then rinsed is quick and easy. Please drain and dry thoroughly.

Many toys can be easily cleaned in the top drawer of the dishwasher.

Bath toys need to be cleaned as the dirty soapy bath water builds up. Please degrease using detergent/bicarbonate of soda or vinegar.

Please check outdoor toys for no sand or water: these also need to be thoroughly cleaned before returning.

For puzzles and games, where necessary, wipe pieces with a damp cloth that has been dipped into water with a mild cleaning/disinfectant agent.